Shop-Ware vs Autograff: which auto repair shop software is right for you?

Shop-Ware pricing

Shop-Ware publishes four packages. Annual billing is about 10% cheaper and is paid for the year upfront; the annual column below shows the effective monthly rate.

The tiers are cumulative. Startup includes unlimited users, AI Parts Matrix, the Digital Vehicle Experience, Maintenance Builder, limited two-way texting and Shop-Ware Payments. Pro adds unlimited two-way texting, the MOTOR Labor Guide, the Native Parts Catalog, OE Specs, API connections, batch payments and the AutoWrite AI writing assistant. Master adds the Business Analytics Suite, monthly inventory value and gross profit tracking, and coaching dashboards. Ultimate+ adds a website, SEO, Google Ads enablement, call tracking, CRM and the Online Service Scheduler.

A CRM and Online Service Scheduler package is available separately at $249 a month.

Shop-Ware's own pricing page discloses three charges beyond the subscription: data migration fees may apply, an accounting link integration fee applies, and transaction fees apply on Shop-Ware Payments. That last one is a disclosure rather than a condition, so Shop-Ware's subscription price does not depend on using their payments. Their Google Ads enablement at Ultimate+ excludes management fee and advertising budget.

Autograff ShopOS pricing

• ShopOS Base: $0/month when you process payments through ShopOS Payments. Core shop management, unlimited users, no per-seat software fee.
• ShopOS Pro: $350/month, or $300/month on an annual contract. Adds the AI receptionist, AI Insights and AI Copilot.

Both tiers are priced per shop. Data migration and onboarding are included.

What does the price difference mean in practice?

For a shop that wants core management without another monthly subscription, Base and Startup are $0 and $279 respectively. That is the clearest gap on the page, and the $0 applies when you use ShopOS Payments.

For a shop that wants the AI layer, ShopOS Pro is $300 a month on an annual contract against Shop-Ware Pro at $350 a month billed annually. Close on price, different in substance: Shop-Ware Pro adds unlimited two-way texting and the AutoWrite assistant; ShopOS Pro is bought for call handling and operational visibility.

AI: two different problems

Both vendors use the word AI for substantially different things.

Shop-Ware applies it to pricing and writing. AI Parts Matrix optimizes parts gross profit. AutoWrite, included from Pro, turns rushed technician notes into clear customer-facing wording.

ShopOS applies it to the phone and the job board:

• AI receptionist answers calls, handles customer questions and books appointments, including outside opening hours.
• AI Insights surfaces stalled approvals, parts delays and jobs that need attention.
• AI Copilot answers questions about your shop using live shop data.

Neither set replaces the other. Shop-Ware's tools make each job more profitable and better communicated. ShopOS's tools are aimed at the calls you miss and the jobs that sit still, which are the delays that cost a shop more than the work itself.

Digital inspections and customer approvals

Shop-Ware's Digital Vehicle Experience combines digital inspection tools with customer communication, including photo evidence attached to inspection findings and a customer-facing view of recommended work.

ShopOS supports photo-based inspections attached to the repair order and the approval.

Ask both for a live demonstration using the kind of job your shop actually sees most weeks, not the demo vehicle.

Approvals and the time between them

Worth separating from inspections, because it is where most shops lose days. An estimate that leaves the shop and sits unanswered costs the same as a vehicle waiting on a part, and almost no system records the gap. ShopOS AI Insights flags approvals that have stalled. Shop-Ware's approval flow sits inside DVX and is not surfaced as a separate operational alert.

For the background on why this delay is so expensive and so rarely measured, see why it takes so long to get a repair approved.

Scheduling and customer communication

Shop-Ware limits two-way texting on Startup and unlocks it at Pro. Online scheduling arrives at Ultimate+ ($999/month) or through the $249/month CRM and Scheduler package. A shop on Startup wanting both would be comparing $279 plus $249 against the cost of moving up tiers.

ShopOS includes online booking on both plans, and sends estimates to the customer by text or email so they can approve from their phone.

Switching and migration

Changing systems is customer records, vehicle histories, inventory, open jobs and retraining your team.

Autograff includes data migration and onboarding assistance. Shop-Ware discloses that data migration fees may apply, and that an accounting link integration fee applies.

Whichever way you go, ask: what exactly gets migrated, can open repair orders move, what happens to historical invoices and inspection records, and what support covers the first month.